Discovering good new music can be hard sometimes. But thanks to the amazing tools and tips in this list. It shouldn’t be so hard anymore! Here are, the 18 best ways to find new music you’ll love. Nr 18 is my favorite!
1. Reddit
You’ve heard of Reddit before right? It’s a place for anything and everything. But it’s an especially good place for finding other people’s favorite songs and playlists.
Not only do people share songs with each other. It’s a place where many artists choose to promote their songs. So if you’re interested in hearing some new releases that would otherwise get no attention whatsoever. Go to Reddit!
2. Spotify
If you’ve ever used Spotify. You know how powerful it is for discovering new music.
Just pick any favorite song of yours, hit play, and after it’s done playing. It will continue, throwing you similar songs, or songs that you may like. It’s such a powerful tool, and even if you regularly use something else, like Apple Music or Deezer. You can use Spotify for free, so it’s really for anyone!
But Spotify has many more features for finding new music. Among them, is the ability to generate radio stations based on any song or artist with just the click of a button.
3. Last F.M
Last F.M, works as a radio. You can hit play, and it just keeps playing. But it’s not only a good radio station that you tailor to your own needs.
On your dashboard, you will get a few tools for discovering music. The coolest feature is probably, the “Around The World” function, which lets you click on a country in the world, and see what’s being played right now.
It took me seconds to find a song I loved with this function, and it’s just one of many. Last F.M has been a favorite for many, to find discover new music.
4. Ask your Friends
Do you have friends?
If the answer is yes, then you can ask them what you should listen to!
I know from personal experience. Many of my friends would love to send me songs that they love, and it can really strengthen a relationship to share songs with each other.
Reach out to them. Maybe they have a playlist for you!
5. Discord Groups and Listening Parties
Discord is a great place for discovering new music! If you want to find truly independent artists it’s one of the best places to search.
Not only is it a place where artists promote their new songs. But the listening parties are just wonderful. If you’ve never participated in a listening party on Discord, you should!
A listening party often consists of a group of 5-20 people, all submitting songs and managing the playlist in real-time. So if you submit a song you want to be played for the others, you can do so, and get it played minutes after.
It’s fun to see the reaction of the other people, when the songs you share, become their new favorites. All you need to do is find the right Discord channels and then settle in with the people.
Here is one of my favorite channels, It’s called Indie World. Another good one is Indie Music Feedback.
6. Top Music Charts (Old & New)
If you’re the kind of person who likes to find songs everyone forgot, or maybe you want to listen to the newer stuff. Wikipedia can be a great place.
They have data on charts dating way back. So you can find what was popular in Australia 1984, pretty cool huh?
I’ve used this multiple times and it really works, just pick a country and a year!
Go to Google and type “chart Germany 1980”, but switch out the year or country for whatever you wish.
7. Youtube Suggestions
Youtube has this really good feature of autosuggestions, and I’m not talking about what’s on the front page.
Whenever you click on a video. You’ll get a list of recommendations on the side, and if you click on one of those songs, and one more, and one more. You’ll end up in very unlikely places. This is how I’ve found some of my absolute favorite songs.
Also, if you wanna get some fresh results. Use incognito mode in your browser! You can type in whatever genre you want, and it will give you great results.
Don’t underestimate the power of the right sidebar!
8. Vinyl Shop / Garagesale / FleaMarket
Whenever I go to flea markets, I see odd boxes nobody else is interested in. Filled with vinyl from bands with unknown origins. It’s always a blast to look through all of them to see what I find.
Sometimes, you can find so rare and unique music, that it’s not even on the internet! Not on Spotify, not on Youtube, not on Apple music.
So keep that in mind, whenever you’re on a flea market or a garage sale. Look through the box filled with vinyl. Sometimes they’re just a dollar each.
9. Online Radio
Right now, there is a radio station somewhere in the world, playing the music you would like to hear. All you gotta do is find it!
Some people really love KEXP, a radio station based in Seattle that plays alternative music and indie rock. I recommend this station too! There is also an iPhone and Android app.
But there are a ton more out there. The U.S alone has thousands of radio stations and it can be so fun to listen to radio, as it’s often surprisingly good music, and personally, I enjoy the occasional talk.
10. Soundcloud
Soundcloud is pretty much the place with the most unique music.
Some of my friends, including myself, have music that’s only released on Soundcloud. Because it’s so easy to just upload a track and be done. Some artists may upload demos of their tracks to try them out with their audience, and then release the most loved ones on the other streaming services.
It’s a true treasure trove of unique stuff, and they have discovery functions such as autoplay, charts and trending, to make it easy for you.
11. Need a DJ feel?
A really uncommon way to find the best music you’ll love is by listening to DJ mixes.
Of course, DJs put out mixes every day on platforms such as Youtube. But if you visit their real hideout, you can listen in on mixes shared between members in their closed knit-community. That otherwise might not make it to Youtube.
MixCloud is such a place, and it’s great for the times when you’re tired of making song choices. And just want a seamless, mix of songs that flawlessly fit together.
12. Go to a Concert, Liveshow or bar
If you live in a bigger city, there are concerts playing every night. It’s a great way to spend time with friends while discovering new music.
My experience with concerts is that the music just hits differently.
No song ever sounds the same twice, and the music can feel much more alive than when you’re just listening at home on your phone or laptop.
13. Bandcamp
Bandcamp is not only a platform to support artists. It’s an excellent platform for listening to and finding new music. Especially the more unique and rare artists are on Bandcamp.
The artists themselves would be happy if more people listened on Bandcamp instead of any other service. Because on Bandcamp, the focus is on supporting the artists you like, as well as listening to their music.
Some artists are solely on Bandcamp too, and of course, it’s free to listen to music on there. So try it out!
14. Find your favorite bands favorite bands
If you already have an artist or musician you love. You should try to see if the artist has created a playlist at any time. Good chances are, if you like the artist’s music, you’ll like their suggestions as well.
It’s common for bands and artists to create playlists with their favorite music for their fans to listen to.
15. Use random words
Here’s a weird little trick.
You can use a random word generator to get uncommon words and then search for that word on a music streaming service.
The weird part about it is how often you’ll get results. Words that make no sense, are in fact, titles of songs. It’s ridiculously effective, and can easily set you out on a new path musically.
You will always find something by searching for that one random word.
16. Use a similar artists generator
This site is pretty fun. It’s called Every Noise at Once, and it lets you search for artists that are similar to each other.
Type in whatever you can think of, and watch your display fill up with hundreds of similar artists. It lets you specify a subgenre too, which makes it easier to further pinpoint what you’re looking for.
17. Find the Producer of the Singer
Ever noticed, that an artist or band you like, didn’t really write or produce their own songs? It’s the case many times. Even for lesser-known artists.
A good way of finding new music is to look up who produced a song you like, and see what more the producer or songwriter has created. It has always worked for me and I’m sure it will work for you.
Wikipedia often has information on who produced and wrote what. But if you’re on Spotify, next to the song title, there should be three dots. Click on that, and then “view song credits”.
18. Discover the Music within yourself
If you’ve heard enough of other people’s music, and you’re tired of your old playlists. Why not try to come up with something new yourself?
It’s the path I’ve chosen to go, and most of the music I listen to is the stuff I make myself.
Many think it’s hard, or that they’re not good enough. But I refuse to believe it.
Getting a guitar is one of the best ways to start, as they can be SO CHEAP! I own a bunch of expensive guitars, but the one I use the most is a nylon-stringed, 25$ one.
Of course, you don’t need to play an instrument. You can create music on your laptop as well! You can use something like FL Studio and a quickstart guide.
19. SubmitHub
SubmitHub is a place where artists send their songs in to get feedback and to promote their music.
You can go to the HotorNot section on the website, and begin rating fresh songs immediately. Just pick the genres you like, and of you go!
The best part about it. Is that you can leave feedback by writing a short message to the artist. They can then answer your feedback. It’s a really cool place, and I’ve used it a ton of times!
